The invention refers to a spool valve, in particular for an automatic transmission of a motor vehicle, having a valve housing, which houses a guide element, in which an axially movable valve spool is arranged, and the valve housing having at least one radial pressure connection and a radial tank connection being axially distanced therefrom, and a working connection, wherein on the guide element′ at least one pressure connection opening connected to the pressure connection and one tank connection opening, axially distanced therefrom and connected to the tank connection and one working connection, which is axially positioned between the pressure connection opening and the tank connection opening and is connected to the working connection are provided, and wherein in the valve housing a partially axially extending connection duct is present, which connects the working connection opening to the working connection.
A spool valve of above mentioned kind is known from WO 2015/055340, for example. In this disclosure, the guide element, the spool sleeve, is completely injection coated by the plastic material of the valve housing. Thus, also the channel is delimited on all sides by plastic material. The injection molding tool which is used to this end is complex, thus increasing the cost of production of such a spool valve. At the same time, the flow cross-section of this invention is relatively small, causing relatively high-pressure losses during operation.
Also, Japanese patent application JP-H07206634 discloses a spool valve according to the state of the art, in which the guide element has a complex structure, since a plurality of channels is provided in the same, and their production is onerous.